WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 29: War Council (2)

“...That trap idea earlier too—Friedrich, you’re something else. Hard to believe you were so tense just a short while ago,”

Oliver said, his eyes slightly wide in amazement.

“Really?”

Friedrich blinked, genuinely puzzled by the praise. The others all nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Facing down a force three times our size, and you’ve recovered quicker than the rest of us.”

“You don’t look like a rookie on his first campaign at all.”

“Honestly, I used to wonder how much help someone like you could be on a battlefield, no offense. But now I get why His Excellency saw potential in you.”

“Maybe it’s that same nerve that got you through the bandit incident last year, huh?”

As their words washed over him, Friedrich could only respond with a wry, humble smile.

Oliver crossed his arms and spoke with a low murmur.

“Yeah… with only a hundred men, splitting our force is a gamble. If the ambush group is too small, it won’t hit hard enough. If it’s too big, our front line gets too thin to hold.”

Friedrich nodded.

“Then the ambush shouldn’t aim to wipe them out, just to shock them. A sharp strike at the right moment can stall their advance, even if it doesn’t rout them.”

He paused, eyes sharpening.

“We make them hesitate. If we shake their confidence in pushing through the pass, even a larger force will tread carefully.”

One of the older knights chimed in, skeptical but intrigued.

“How many men do you think you’ll need for that?”

“Twenty, light on numbers, but quick. Hidden near the slope, positioned tight to the narrowest part of the path. When the enemy pushes into the pass, we hold just long enough to bait them in deep. Then the flanking unit strikes.”

Friedrich answered after a moment of thought, and Oliver gave a low whistle.

“Bold. If it works, they’ll think twice about charging a second time.”

“And that hesitation buys us the time we need until reinforcements arrive.”

As Friedrich said that, the small war council fell into thoughtful silence. Then Oliver nodded once, decisive.

“Alright. We’ll go with your plan, Friedrich. Let’s draw up the layout now. We move at first light.”

And just like that, the hundred men of the detachment who are trapped in a mountain pass, outnumbered three to one, found themselves clinging to a glimmer of hope, carried on the back of a young man’s calm resolve.

Oliver crossed his arms and replied with a stern expression.

"The enemy numbers three hundred. Once they enter the mountain path, their formation will stretch which'll make it easier to strike their flanks. Still, if we want to ambush them hard enough to force a retreat, we'll need a decent number of troops. At minimum, thirty, and ideally, fifty."

"Which means the group waiting to intercept them in the pass would be reduced by that much. If a force of a hundred drops to fifty, there's no way the enemy wouldn't notice, and they'd definitely suspect an ambush."

Even without hearing it to the end, Friedrich grasped why the plan would be difficult to carry out.

"Should we think of another strategy?"

"No, wait a minute..."

As everyone turned their eyes to him, Friedrich lowered his head in thought.

After a few dozen seconds, he lifted his face, glanced at the sky, and then turned back to Oliver.

"Oliver. Around here, within a round-trip distance that wouldn’t be too much of a strain... preferably something like an hour’s walk one-way, are there any settlements?"

Though unsure of the reason behind the question, Oliver called upon the knowledge of the border region he'd memorized and opened his mouth to respond.

"...If we go back along the path we used to reach the mountain pass from the west, there's one village. It's a farming village that also serves as a post town for those who travel this route in times of peace. From here, it'd take a little over an hour on foot. Also, if you head south along the mountain for about an hour, there's another village at the base, one that makes a living from hunting in the mountains and charcoal making in the forest. Conversely, if you go about half an hour north and descend toward the base, there's yet another village."

Though small, the area has several settlements due to its proximity to the trade route. Oliver added that, since this is considered a key location for border defense, he had already gathered information on these villages.

"What’s the population of each?"

"The eastern village has around two hundred people. The southern and northern ones have fewer... But wait, you’re not thinking of conscripting the farmers, are you? Even if we gathered the men from the villages now, it wouldn't be enough to turn the tide of battle."

Oliver frowned suspiciously, but Friedrich shook his head.

"I'm not conscripting. I’ll ask for volunteers."

Friedrich's plan was as follows:

First, send messengers to the surrounding villages and call for volunteers to fight.

The message would be: ‘The enemy army is crossing through the mountain path and plans to ravage this entire region. If they succeed, your villages won’t be spared. To stop them, we need volunteers willing to fight alongside us.’

The volunteers wouldn’t be required to fight. They would simply wear the gear provided and stand behind the kingdom’s troops to make the army appear larger. Once the fighting began, the whole unit would retreat, meaning the volunteers would likely avoid direct combat altogether.

The reward: 500 Slone per person. That’s nearly ten times the daily wage of a typical laborer, and several times the pay of an intellectual worker, truly an extraordinary offer.

All of this would be guaranteed under the name of Friedrich, retainer of House Hosenfeld. Those who volunteered and fulfilled their duty would earn the honor of having defended their nation under Count Matthias Hosenfeld and taken part in a victorious battle.

Friedrich believed this pitch would attract those wanting to protect their homes and families, those who admired Matthias as a hero, or simply those in need of money. Gathering about fifty volunteers seemed entirely plausible.

Then, those fifty would be placed in the rear ranks of a formation that appears to be one hundred strong. Meanwhile, the actual fifty kingdom soldiers they replaced would be hidden as an ambush force along the forest-covered slopes beside the mountain path.

Before the enemy is expected to make their move at dawn tomorrow, Friedrich’s plan is to march a full formation of 100 men over the mountain path to a location visible from the enemy's camp. The goal is to display their numbers and give the impression that the detachment is still fully intact and operating as one cohesive unit.

Once the enemy launches their assault, the detachment would engage briefly, then retreat down the path. At the right moment, the ambush unit hidden in the forested flanks would strike. If they can land a decisive blow and force a retreat, the mission would be a success. If they can take out the enemy commander in the process, even better.

Whether the ambush remains undiscovered depends partially on luck. But given their current resources and available equipment and manpower, Friedrich believes this is the most effective plan with a strong chance of success.

"What do you think? Honestly, I can't think of anything better than this right now..."

“...Friedrich, you really are something else."

That quiet mutter from someone broke the silence, and soon everyone began praising Friedrich's plan, part impressed, part in awe.

They discussed outfitting the volunteers in the spare gear, placing them in the rear ranks. If they wear standard kingdom military armor and stand quietly at the back, they likely won't be mistaken for mere villagers. Any shortfall in gear could be covered by borrowing equipment from those assigned to the ambush team.

"Hey, Friedrich... did you seriously predict all of this when you asked for the spare armor?"

"No, not at all. Like I told the chief retainer, it was just a hunch."

"...I see."

Oliver gave a faint smile that was a mix of admiration and disbelief.

“As for strategy… I hate to admit it, but I don’t think I could come up with anything better than yours right now. As commander, I’ll focus on making sure your plan is carried out flawlessly.”

With that, he looked around at the knights and squad leaders gathered.

“We’ll send one knight and three soldiers to each of the three villages. Those assigned to the ambush detail should get some sleep early tonight. At dawn before the light fully breaks, they’ll move into the forest. Since they’ll be the ones charging into the enemy during the ambush, it’ll be the more dangerous task, and they’ll need to watch for the right moment to strike. I’ll take command of that group. As for the hundred who’ll draw the enemy into the mountain path, Jaarg will lead them. Noela will serve as second in command.”

The eldest knight in the detachment and the renowned female knight, one of the most capable in the regiment, both nodded their agreement.

“All right, let’s get to it. We don’t have much time.”

With Oliver’s words, the war council came to an end, and everyone moved out to carry out their roles.

Footnotes:

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